Joining the likes of Apple and Google, Microsoft is now also rumored to be making a 7-inch version of its first homemade tablet -- the Surface.

According to a recent report from Reuters, Microsoft is in the midst of creating a whole new batch of Surface tablets, which includes a 7-inch version.

The 7-inch tablet is expected to go into mass production later this year.

Microsoft, which released its first Surface tablet on October 26, 2012, hasn't seen the sales success it expected. Last month, a Bloomberg source anonymously revealed that Microsoft had sold 1.5 million Surface tablets at that point. More specifically, the company had sold a little over a million Surface with Windows RT tablets (features the Windows RT version of Windows 8 specifically for ARM processors) and about 400,000 Surface with Windows Pro tablets (features the full version of Windows 8 and an Intel Core i5 processor).

Microsoft launched Surface with Windows RT in October and Surface with Windows 8 Pro in February.

Microsoft likely wants to run with the big boys like Apple and Google in the tablet sector, and both have already released 7-inch tablets (which tend to be more affordable for consumers). Google's 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet was a hit at only $200 with a load of impressive features, and Apple released its 7-inch iPad mini for a little over $300 last November.

However, Microsoft may want to steer clear of releasing any more Surface tablets with Windows RT, since the operating system has largely been a bust. RT-powered tablets have dropped significantly in price in some cases due to lack of consumer demand, and many hardware makers are looking to just clear the dead weight out of their inventory.

Even analysts believe Windows RT will, at some point, just fade away.

"I think you're seeing discounting based on user demand. I never thought RT was going to be that successful," said Jack Gold, principal analyst at J. Gold Associates. "RT will fade away over time. It's not a full Windows 8 experience. That said, why wouldn't I spend more and get a full Pro version of the device?"

And I can go on about how iPhones have taken down mail servers, lost client e-mail, contacts, meetings, not just through active sync but through third party products as well and how Android devices on a corporate network can pose a security risk because of the side loading and how companies should seriously beef up AV security surrounding android mobile access to their company networks.

Windows Phone is holding its own in the US and when a real device finally hits Verizon Windows Phone will gain market share in the US. Outside the US Windows Mobile is starting to take hold and is taking a chunk out of Android and iPhone in certain markets. Why because its seriously a great OS and it finally has hardware for those who want beefy hardware. You dont really need it I would focus on the Camera because my two year old 800mhz single core windows phone is seriously fast and responsive I just need a camera update.

Keep in mind Windows Phone is still not available in all the locations Android and iPhone are so that market share factors in all the locations where Windows Phone wasn't being sold. So if your able to sell 5 million iPhones in a place where Windows Phone isn't being sold and there were quite a few countries this was happening in guess whos going to win for Total devices sold aka Market share. Oh look Windows Phone isn't winning market share sure when its not sold in all the countries as everyone else what do people expect?

Certainly Microsoft has faulted on the tablet market mostly due to price but for Mobile Windows Phone is excellent excellent excellent. By far the best smart phone device Ive ever used. I used to be able to beat up on Android but its certainly come a long way since 2.3. Hardware wise Windows Phone and Android are murdering the iPhone. Still never heard of a replaceable battery or memory slot Apple?

My buddies iPhone is a horrible wreck at directions. Hell just try any 10 year old Garmin against an iPhone and watch how the Apple takes you routes that don't make sense. Sure the Garmin might loop you but its far better than what Ive seen so far from Apple.

Leaping magnificently from 3% to 3.2% in the last year. It doesn't matter how good or better than the competition Windows Phone is, it has failed in the market place. Windows Phone fans sound to me just like Mac fans in the 1990s, they said back then that the Mac was better than Windows and it was but it made no difference in the market place.

quote: Hardware wise Windows Phone and Android are murdering the iPhone. Still never heard of a replaceable battery or memory slot Apple?

quote: My buddies iPhone is a horrible wreck at directions. Hell just try any 10 year old Garmin against an iPhone and watch how the Apple takes you routes that don't make sense. Sure the Garmin might loop you but its far better than what Ive seen so far from Apple.

3% to 3.2% in the US - you should worry because its still not sold on every carrier and every country and it gained market share. You should look internationally where there is double digit market share of Windows Phone now and its only going to get bigger.

John Dvorak? Really that guy hasn't been relevant in 10 years and this past week I got to see first hand how the Apple device kept taking us off on parallel roads instead of sticking to the major highways. What a POS. My 2 year old Windows Phone was absolutely destroying the credibility of the iPhone maps.

Windows phones are kicking ass? Hmmm... That must be why they are selling them for $1 for most of them. HTC X going for $1-50 and the flagship 920 barely holding on to $100. When until a few weeks ago, the year old galaxy 3 was still a $200 phone.

Metro is a good phone GUI, I used to run it on my android 2.3 phone as a launcher. But with android 4.x, the limitations of metro is evident and I never felt the near to install the wp7/8 launcher on my new phone.

The whole win8/metro revamp from last year is supposed to feed itself, it makes sense. But in reality, Microsoft totally screwed up and it's killing itself. Win8 failure hurts winRT/phone8 sales... Because people are not buying a wp8 device and thinking ..." maybe I should a windows8 computer"

Had I been sold on windows8, I would have gotten a wp8 device... But I lost faith in Microsoft. So I stayed with android instead.

Metro is a good design, IMHO. I liked how it tells you info. But then again, my android 4.x phone also tells me info.

I liked the wp8 phones from HTC and Nokia. But even my friends who liked their wp7 phones have gone to android.

I can find tons of the latest Android phones for $1.00 so I find that to be a poor discussion. The Samsung is probably the only Android device worth owning.

I lost faith in Android having owned about 6 devices many of which were abandoned for updates months after release and have had to hard reboot many of them to get them to work but I keep an open mind because things change over time and I rather like the latest Android I have running of 4.1. Still I prefer Windows Phone because from day 1 its been rock solid never an issue. Ive never really been impressed with Apples devices they come in pretty packages but feel like the fisher price of OS's being too dumbed down for my liking. Apple really feels like I'm using Windows 3.1 Sorry if that offends Apple fans they certainly started all this smartphone war but they just aren't moving forward its still Windows 3.1 touch screened for me and its been how many years now? Apple feels old and dated.

I also wouldn't consider you using Windows emulator in old Android 2.3 as a real test of the Windows Phone OS and Windows Phone 8 is not Windows 8 but there is talk of a full blown Windows 8 on a phone.

Thats just the freedom of Windows all the best hardware like Android with a Rock Solid OS of Windows. Im sure someone will have a comment about that but reality when Microsoft has control of the hardware the OS is damn near perfect to perfect. Look at how stable the X-Box OS is. The windows phone os is even more stable.

quote: And I can go on about how iPhones have taken down mail servers, lost client e-mail, contacts, meetings, not just through active sync but through third party products as well and how Android devices on a corporate network can pose a security risk because of the side loading and how companies should seriously beef up AV security surrounding android mobile access to their company networks.

Weird, the iphone losing contacts and meetings through EAS. Wonder where the problem lies in this case?

Yes, due to an issue with the iphone and Exchange, an iphone can take down a mail server. Glad that was a problem both MS and apple fixed in a timely matter.

quote: as well and how Android devices on a corporate network can pose a security risk because of the side loading and how companies should seriously beef up AV security surrounding android mobile access to their company networks.

Um, so what? That has nothing to do with Android working fine as it was intended.

AS for the rest of your post, well, that's nice. If only MS released a decent OS worth using back in 2007 instead of WM still stuck using a browser compatible with 1998's standards.

Instead, only apple and google gave it a swift kick in the monopolistic ass it deserved.